The VERY unexpected place Aussie singles are trying to pick up dates: ‘I never saw this coming’

Single Aussies have recently discussed an unlikely location for finding love: their local Bunnings store.

A newly single Brisbane woman in her late 30s recently took to an online forum to ask whether it’s acceptable to strike up a flirtatious conversation with a handsome stranger in the aisles of the hardware giant.

Much to her surprise, many replied to reveal they too had considered it.

‘I’m female and coming back to the dating scene scares me,’ she confided in a recent post. ‘Is it a tough game out there? Dating and getting to know people?’

The Queenslander said that although she knows she could start the search for her next love interest online, she felt ‘helplessly single and not looking forward to apps’.

Instead, she explained she much preferred the idea of ‘bumping into Mr Single’ in ‘the plant section’ or another hardware store aisle.

She mused: ‘Can I actually meet my forever Prince Charming in Bunnings?’

Her post was inundated with hundreds of replies from single men and women who thought her idea was inspired.

One 31-year-old woman from Brisbane replied to say she had heard rumours that ‘Bunnings is a hot spot’ for dating – but hadn’t actually worked up the nerve to chat to someone in store.

‘How do you even approach someone there?’ she laughed. ‘Can barely find the staff, let alone a husband.’

Another 33-year-old local woman who as ‘completely overwhelmed on [dating] apps’, thought the idea of scoping out her local Bunnings was genius.

‘I do not get approached at bars, clubs or pubs. Hit me up if you would like to stroll the aisles together. I’m at a loss!’ she replied.

Another single woman chimed in: ‘I’ve been saying this for years! Plant section meet-up every Sunday!’

One person agreed that the ‘Bunnings plant aisle feels like a surprisingly real place to meet someone cute’.

‘Honestly, I’d rather find a handy bloke at Bunnings than jerks on Tinder,’ agreed one woman.

Another woman winkingly added: ‘So which aisles at Bunnings? Gardening, timber or tool?’

A Brisbane man in his late 30s, who was also jaded by his romantic quest, said he was open to the wildly different strategy of heading to Bunnings.

‘Looking at the dating scene these days and starting to wonder if just loitering in the plant section is actually the best bet,’ he responded.

Another guy in his mid-30s agreed, replying: ‘Given up on the dating apps. Maybe I will start wandering the aisles of Bunnings – could be a thing.

‘At least I can grab a snag on the way out – not a total loss,’ he laughingly added.

‘Guessing I’ll have to start going to Bunnings more! The apps are pretty defeating,’ another single local said.

A single man in his mid-40s was dumbstruck by the concept, admitting he’s ‘definitely seen women at Bunnings I’d like to ask out’ – but never considered actually doing it.

Another 35-year-old man who’d ‘been on the apps for about a year’ was also keen to try something new. ‘I’ll try roaming Bunnings and see if I get any hits,’ he said.

‘I never thought of Bunnings – I’ve been using Ikea and I get lost because of its stupid layout,’ another man laughed.

And it seems the idea of finding a soul mate at Bunnings went beyond a fanciful theory, with several responses noting they had personally experienced what they deemed a flirtatious interaction with a fellow shopper.

‘I met this absolutely lovely woman at Bunnings Virginia [in Queensland] recently,’ one bloke recalled. ‘I complimented her on her wonderfully curly hair and she was tickled about it. We exchanged names and I stupidly didn’t ask for her number. I hope I run into her again.’

Another man recounted: ‘Last time I was in Bunnings I had the trolley loaded and a lady commented, “Ooh, you look like you’ve got a big package,” and I said, “Yeah it’s a chainsaw!” – and kept walking. In hindsight, was that an approach?’

One woman said she was surprised to find she ‘got hit on at Bunnings’ by ‘an actually attractive man of a suitable age’ – even though she was ‘looking completely daggy’ at the time.

‘My guess is that I was more approachable looking like this, because I (almost) never get hit on when wearing makeup and dressed nicely,’ she pondered.

Another Brisbane woman confirmed she’d also struck up conversations with random strangers in the building supplies section.

‘I’ve had most men talk to me while I was in the screw aisle (no joke). I guess I spend a lot of time there trying to figure out what kind of screw I need (again, no joke), and it’s an easy thing for nearby men to ask if I need any help with figuring out which one to use.’

A number of single guys chimed in, saying they would be ‘delighted’ if a single woman spontaneously started interacting with them in store.

‘Honestly, if I was at Bunnings and a lady came up to me… and said: “How’s your weekend Bunnings trip going?” – I would be delighted, and I would put the effort in to keep the conversation going.’

‘If a nice lady asked me what I’m working on, I’d be delighted,’ another agreed.

Another guy urged: ‘Go chat up some guy you think is hot in Bunnings and if he is single, there’s a pretty good chance he would be happy to talk to you. Only once in my life has a lady ever initiated conversation with me in a flirty way and I was completely over the moon about it.’

One woman agreed that she would ‘really appreciate being hit on outside of Bunnings, provided it is respectful’.

Another guy said he always kept his eyes open at Bunnings, but claimed it was ‘hard to find those who are single and looking’.

To this, someone replied: ‘Maybe we should agree on a signal?’

There have been long reports of singletons deliberately placing a bunch of bananas in their shopping trolley with the ends pointing upwards as a signal to other single, young supermarket shoppers – with the theory gaining traction recently on TikTok and Instagram.

Accordingly, the recent online Reddit discussion about finding a date at Bunnings segued into ideas for a signal that could be used by hardware store customers – with broad agreement that it would involve the iconic Bunnings sausage sizzle.

‘Maybe sausage and bread tops,’ suggested one person. ‘Like pointing bananas upwards in your supermarket trolley.’

‘THIS! I went to Bunnings today – hot dog in trolley. The number of people that stopped and chatted.’

‘Collective meet-up at the next sausage sizzle for speed dating?’ another suggested.

In amongst the more serious contemplations about Bunnings being the hot new place to meet a potential mate were a few quips referencing the brand’s signature lingo.

‘Gives a whole new meaning to ‘Bunnings Marketplace’,’ read one reply.

‘If you find prince charming, I’ll beat him by ten percent,’ another said.

‘Bunnings as a singles market!? Lowest prices are just the beginning!’ read one reply.

One cheeky person simply asked: ‘Looking to get you a Bunnings sausage?’

Despite the positive sentiment around Bunnings as a new potential place to find a date, there were still several replies from single men explaining why they ultimately wouldn’t chat to an unknown woman in store.

‘No man is going to approach you at Bunnings. We’ve all been taught that it’s creepy,’ read one reply, echoed by several others.

Another guy agreed: ‘I would never walk up to a random lady in Bunnings or anywhere in public and start chatting her up. I assume, and have been told, that women just want to be left alone and not hit on in public, which is fair enough.’

One gentleman said he had agreed with this sentiment – that is, until he read this particular online Reddit discussion where so many single women were highlighting the store as a potential pick-up spot.

‘Came here to say blokes probably aren’t going to approach you in Bunnings, but reading the comments makes me think I need to spend more time in Bunnings,’ he laughed.

Several replies lamented the sad state of the current dating scene – particularly when it came to the tribulations of using online dating apps.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, with a number of replies offering big-picture advice on how to find your match in real life – whether it’s in the tool section or anywhere else.

‘Life has a beautiful way of joining people together and granting us the opportunity for connection, but only if you’re open to seeking it and happy to give it the time it deserves,’ read one insightful reply.

Another person offered: ‘People love to help and striking up conversations is a great way to learn new things and discover a whole world through someone else’s perceptions and experience. I think the thing missing from a lot of what we are all looking for…is authenticity, regardless of the relationship status.’

One person similarly suggested: ‘Life is so wildly short… living in the now, appreciating the small things along the way, and being authentic to yourself first and foremost is a good starting point.’

And the simple piece of advice from one person? ‘Focus on the experience of meeting someone and building connections, and seeing where things go.’